Grindhouse, a double bill featuring Deathproof and Planet Terror, was created as a tribute to the lost genre of exploitation films as made famous by single screen theatres across America in the ’70s. Sleaze, porn, slashers and martial arts flicks were the rage back then and this was the era that directors like… Grindhouse directors and collaborators, Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez grew up in. The homage to grindhouse cinemas made its mark… violent, sexual, deviant and over-the-top without much substance.

However, it seemed like a hollow victory. Deathproof wasn’t as edgy as many had hoped and if truth be told, Rodriguez’s mixture of sexy/dangerous with a machine gun-legged beauty eclipsed Tarantino. The tribute worked as a commercial entity, but it’s still ironic that these neo-grindhouse flicks are armed to the teeth with big names and budgets, instead of tapping into the wealth of underground sleaze and pit of dodgy directors. In short, keepin’ it real, ain’t so real after all.

Machete was spawned from the grindhouse “renaissance”. Danny Trejo agreed to make one of several grindhouse trailers and audiences loved the concept so much, they decided to flesh out a film with him as the title character, Machete. The story follows an ex-Federale who becomes involved in a plot to assassinate a senator (De Niro). When things don’t go as planned, Machete (Trejo) runs for cover only to take bloody vengeance on his former employers.

Trejo’s a B-movie legend at the ripe old age of 66 and commands respect on the screen, whether it be for his pockmarked no-nonsense approach to acting or his kick-ass street cred and wealth of “that Mexican guy” performances. He’s a hard man, a tough-as-nails-son-of-a-bitch and he was born to play Machete.

“Machete means you don’t mess with this Mexican.”

Rodriguez did an excellent job with Planet Terror, also directed Sin City, and knows how to add heaps of style and drench a film in cool. For the most part, he’s managed to cater for Machete bringing an all-star cast to the cutting board with names like Robert De Niro, Jessica Alba, Steven Seagal, Michelle Rodriguez, Jeff Fahey, Lindsay Lohan and Don Johnson in support of Danny Trejo. Each star brings their own baggage to the film dragging a certain level of notoriety and sleaze cool into the picture. There aren’t any stand out performances and the schmaltzier the better, yet each character has the goods to take the lead in their own spin-off grindhouse movie.

So what makes a good grindhouse movie? Well, that’s up to the viewer and what they’re hoping to get from their selection of porn, slasher, martial arts and sleaze. Machete is a combination of all grindhouse elements with a special emphasis on action. Trejo riding a motorbike with a machine gun attachment and slicing-and-dicing enemies with a machete is what hooked everyone with the movie trailer. However, the best bits always seem to make the trailer edit and in keeping, Machete doesn’t quite live up the hype.

Trejo has earned his dues as a character actor, not a lead and the film gets inundated with new characters to keep things fresh. There’s a loose plot about overthrowing a racist political candidate and liberating the Mexican labour force as our hero goes on-the-run only to follow the blood trails up to the boss in a spectacular climax of weaponry and attitude. The story is peppered with gun play, knives and a creative number of bloody kills… spattered with several naked women and loaded with testosterone. However, it just doesn’t measure up to expectations. The trailer made it seem as though Machete would use the machine gun motorcycle more often and the whole production just lacks that something special present in the Grindhouse trailer.

Steven Seagal’s video conference performance, Lindsay Lohan’s body double… there’s something wrong here, but it’s difficult to put a finger on it. Where’s the dark sleaze from Sin City and the deviant action of Planet Terror? Machete has several memorable fight scenes, a couple of risque religious gambles but it’s just lacking that killer instinct. Grindhouse as a genre just seems more reckless, more passionate, tackier and more exploitative, whereas Machete seems to be holding back.

“They’re not for sale… but delivery is FREE.”

Rodriguez is a family man, having directed movies like Spy Kids and Machete is bad… but not bad to the bone. Exploitative films were screened in a grindhouse (bump and grind) for the very reason that they were the outcasts/the rebels and Machete is a little cloying when it comes to its palpable Hollywood undercurrents. Film scratches, intentional schmaltz, that gravelly voice-over and $20,000,000 budget aside, this is commercial grindhouse, which totally goes against the whole idea behind the movement.

The irony is that it’s not using the risque material, but rather the big name stars to draw a crowd. You won’t feel cheated after watching Machete or compelled to recommend it to your Gran, it has the fodder: violence, nudity and shock value – but it’s a movie for the masses, suitable for commercial cinemas and fit for late night television viewing.

As far as blades go, Machete is a little blunt… lacking the driving force of a true leading macho man, the gritty danger of a real exploitative film and cruising in the wake of what could have been. This isn’t to say it’s not entertaining. The film is on par with Deathproof and a few shades short of matching Planet Terror for entertainment, but it just feels a little forced as a tribute and too safe, making a grindhouse knock-off rather than a haphazard gem.

The bottom line: Okay.

Release Date: 22 October, 2010

Watch ‘Machete’ Trailer

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